Description: The materials in this exhibit illustrate some of the 70+ year history of the Thunderbird School of Global Management, located in Glendale, Arizona, on the southeast corner of 59th Avenue and Greenway, less than 5 miles from the ASU West campus.

Before it was a school it was an airbase used by the US Army Air Corps to train pilots during World War II, known as Thunderbird Field No. 1. More than 10,000 pilots trained on bi-planes at the airbase between 1941 and 1945. Cadets came from the United States, Great Britain and China. At the close of the war, in 1946, a group of former military men established the American Institute for Foreign Trade, on the Thunderbird Field site. It was the first graduate management school focused exclusively on training individuals for overseas business.

Now, Thunderbird School of Global Management, a unit of the ASU knowledge network, is regarded as the world's leading institution in the education of global managers. More than 45,000 students have come to Glendale and graduated from Thunderbird. Alumni, known as “Thunderbirds” or “T-birds,” live and work in more than 140 countries.

The school's unique curriculum is based on the idea that to do business on a global scale, executives must know not only the intricacies of business, but also understand the customs and cultures of other countries and be able to communicate in different languages. Over the years, Thunderbird has undergone countless changes (including six different names) but has never wavered from its founding principal nor ignored its rich legacy.

We hope you enjoy the materials we have selected to display!

Photo information: An airplane in front of the control tower at Thunderbird Field No. 1 circa 1942. The control tower still stands today and houses the infamous Thunderbird Pub. Photo by John Swope courtesy of the Thunderbird School of Management Archives, Arizona State University Libraries

All materials courtesy of the Thunderbird School of Global Management Archives,